Report Card: Florida botches late lead in overtime loss vs. Gamecocks
By Drew Laing
Published:
OFFENSE: C
Based off this week, it would appear the Gators’ offense took a step back against the Gamecocks. Treon Harris only threw 11 attempts and completed five passes for 60 yards. Only three different UF receivers caught a pass with Demarcus Robinson hauling in three of them. Florida wasn’t terrible when running the football, either. Harris led the way with 111 rushing yards on 20 carries, while Matt Jones and Kelvin Taylor combined 110 yards and one touchdown.
Ultimately, the Gators’ ultra-conservative approach was their undoing. Florida held a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter, but played not to lose and was unable to add on despite multiple chances. Failing to get a first down late in the game also allowed South Carolina a chance to block the ensuing punt, which led to the comeback victory. The incompetence in the fourth quarter wiped out any good feelings the offense generated earlier in the game.
DEFENSE: A
Despite the issues on offense and special teams, Florida’s defense played another great game. South Carolina got off to a quick start, scoring 10 points on its first two drives, but the Gators were a lockdown unit after that. The Gamecocks didn’t score another point until just seconds left in the game and even then Florida didn’t make it easy on them. Guys like Dante Fowler, Vernon Hargreaves and Antonio Morrison led the defense. Hargreaves, especially, had a standout performance. The sophomore cornerback shutdown USC playmaker Pharoh Cooper all game and even came up with a clutch open-field tackle to stop Brandon Wilds on a critical fourth-down attempt by South Carolina late in the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D-
Easily the worst unit of the day for the Gators, the special teams unit blew it in the fourth quarter and allowed South Carolina to stay in the game. There’s simply no excuse for the Gators’ field goal and punt units to miss blocks like they did, especially because of how crucial those moments were in the game. A converted field goal by Florida puts the Gators up 10 points with just a few minutes remaining in the game. And the punt around 45 seconds left in the fourth quarter would have pinned South Carolina deep in its own territory and would make the idea of tying the game much more unrealistic.
COACHING: D
The Gators didn’t make plays necessary to win in the fourth quarter, but the coaching staff deserves a large portion of the blame. Florida once again struggled with penalties and Muschamp’s desire to be ultra-conservative on offense ultimately lost the game for the Gators. Simply put, Muschamp is not very good at winning close games and that showed Saturday afternoon.
OVERALL: C-
This was a game Florida should have won. The defense made plays all day and the offense had the football up seven points with a little over two minutes remaining. But Florida shot itself in the foot with blown assignments on special teams and poor playcalling late in the game. Once again, the Gators seemingly find a way to lose and Muschamp’s future as Florida’s head coach is much less secure than it was prior to this game. He’s likely on his way out of Gainesville.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
